Ways to Charge the Kindle

1. Use the 5V charger.
2. Trickle charge through the USB cable. According to KindleNowNow (wonderful idea) and the user manual one could trickle charge the Kindle in this manner. I tried this method and it took much too long even with the Kindle turned off.
3. Fully charge the Kindle from my computer through a modified USB to power cable. Because my computer's USB port could power a power hungry DVD drive, I figured that the Kindle's USB socket was not designed to charge it. On the other hand, the charger is 5V and the USB port puts out 5V. So I cut both the charger cable and the USB cable, soldered red wire to red wire and black to black to create a USB cable with a power socket. Plugged the USB to my computer and the power socket to the Kindle and it worked!
4. Charging the Kindle via 4 AA batteries using the USB/power cable. I figured that the Kindle must have been designed for an operating voltage range, just as the iPod and the Blackberry and that my Do-It-Yourself AA based charger (Knowledge/Action: Tech Tip: Cheap DIY Charger for iPod) would work. And it did!
5. Be green, charge the Kindle through solar power. I charge all my rechargeable batteries using a Coleman solar charger. So I made several battery based DIY Chargers and charge them by the sun. Now, my Blackberr, iPods, and Kindle are all solar powered.